You don’t have to be a big time college graduate, or the wizard of Wall Street to make a lot of money in the recycling business. The best part is it’s a Green Business. Every day thousands of tons of metals, lumber, and other materials are sent to the landfills in this country. All you have to do is drive down any street on trash pickup day, and you can find literally tons of iron, aluminum, brass, copper, and car batteries, just to name a few items.
There are people who make a living just by picking up old appliances and refurbishing them. Have you been to buy a new washer or dryer lately? The sidewalks are littered with them, and many of them only require simple repairs! There are plenty of families that would be more than happy to own a working refurbished washer and dryer set. Parts are easy to get, and are not that expensive if you have a working relationship with a parts supplier that knows you are a pro.
Every time I go by a construction site, especially the big union jobs where large buildings are involved I am appalled at what I see going into the dumpsters. It’s as if money grows on trees! I have written many times about building Micro Homes to alleviate the housing shortage. Well there is enough waste coming off these jobs to build thousands of Micro Homes!
I have seen people sweep up expensive nuts, bolts and other very expensive hardware and simply throw it in the trash. I’m sure if you think about it you can recall many instances of such waste, especially by big businesses.
I would like to suggest that if you need extra money or would like to start a business, that you give serious consideration to starting a recycling business. Get a good clean used pickup truck and start one of these businesses. There are people always looking for bargains on used lumber and recycled metal products. Check your local paper for the daily scrap metal prices. Hold on to your scrap for the higher prices. Keep some records of the market prices, and speaking of records, keep some kind of accurate record of all your financial transactions. Always work from a checkbook, and don’t mess around with the taxman! Personally, we keep all of our records on Quick Books and have a CPA in four times a year. They also do our taxes, and the cost is surprisingly low for a small business.
The main thing is to do something -- anything, but don’t sit around forever just talking about it! Make a business plan and start moving forward. Do not be paralyzed by fear of failure!
Walt Barrett President
A to Z Global Marketing Inc. – An American Company! © 2007
401 725 8141
www.free2advertize.com
An afterthought:
The Rag Man
When I was a young boy there was an old man who came around once a month with a horse and wagon. My mother would save her old rags and scrap metal, and he would give her a few cents a pound for the stuff. Those were interesting times in the great depression and the Korean War both of which I am a proud survivor, and never want to be cold or hungry again! The old man would drive up and down the streets in his horse drawn wagon yelling "Rags, rags, anybody got any rags?" I'd go running in the house shouting "Mom, The rag man is here!" That's the only name we ever knew that old man by, and yet, his descendants own one of the largest metals company in America today! Just remember, it all has to start somewhere!
Walt Barrett
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